Guest Commentary written by

Bruce Parkman

Bruce Parkman

Bruce Parkman is the founder of the Mac Parkman Foundation for Adolescent Concussive Trauma. He is retired U.S. Army Special Forces and the father of Mac Parkman, who committed suicide at 17 after suffering from repeated head injuries.

Re: “Newsom sides with parents’ rights groups to defend youth tackle football“

Assembly Bill 734 reflects the latest research, science, logic and parental attitudes that children participating in contact sports are exposing their developing brains to unnecessary repeated head injuries, or RHIs. The potential for brain damage and subsequent psychological disorders increases the longer a child is exposed.

For children, repeated head injuries or the smaller hits that all kids suffer playing contact sports induces an insidious process that changes the brain at the microcellular level. Left unchecked, these changes produce significant damage to a child’s brain structure, proven and supported by decades of research to cause mental illness. Furthermore, unlike concussions, RHIs can be asymptomatic, meaning the changes cannot be felt or seen, and children “play through” these hits for years without any indication their brain is being damaged.

The devastating impact to children that have had long-term exposure is evident in the growing mental health, suicidality of athletes and CTE diagnoses of athletes in their 20s and 30s. With no guidance from national health agencies or pediatric associations, parents allow participation thinking it’s safe.

When it comes to repeated head injuries and mental illness, it is our society – not our children – that has been acting like a child. We need to grow up. Assemblyman Kevin McCarty’s bill to prohibit children from playing tackle football achieves that goal. Gov. Gavin Newsom should rethink his position and support the bill, showing that he cares about protecting California’s children.